Research Article

Turkish TV Series as Soft Power Tool and the Role of Fandom: The Case of Serbia

Volume: 6 Number: 1 March 31, 2026
TR EN

Turkish TV Series as Soft Power Tool and the Role of Fandom: The Case of Serbia

Abstract

As popular culture products, TV series attract the attention of large audiences, and numerous studies have emphasized that TV series have a soft power effect, and some studies have posited that fan culture supports this relationship. However, the dynamic relationship between TV series, fandom culture, and their soft power effects is understudied. To address this gap, the soft power effect of Turkish TV series on Serbian fan groups was examined, while considering factors like TV series-specific social media consumption and creation habits. An online survey was conducted (N = 659) on Serbian Facebook fan groups. The soft power effect of the TV series was measured by participants’ cultural experiences in areas like language, tourism, cuisine, traditions, products, music, and sports. Results suggest that fanhood, TV series-specific social media consumption, and creation habits explain the soft power effect above and beyond the power of TV series watching habits, and that fanhood has a higher effect than other factors. Findings provide theoretical contributions by uncovering the relationship between fan culture, social media consumption, and creation on the soft power effect of TV series, while providing insights for professionals and policymakers who want to implement TV series as a soft power tool.

Keywords

Soft Power, TV Series, Fandom Culture, Participatory Culture, Cultural Diplomacy

Ethical Statement

This study was conducted in accordance with ethical standards. Ethical approval was obtained from the Kadir Has University Ethics Committee for Human Research (Approval No: E-17446481-600-43841, Date: 28.09.2022). All participants provided informed consent before participation.

Thanks

This article is based on the corresponding author's master's thesis, conducted at Kadir Has University School of Graduate Studies. The literature review section of the thesis was prepared within the scope of the project titled “TV Series: A Comparative Perspective From Geopolitics to Geocriticism – Serbia and Turkey”, supported by the Bilateral Cooperation Program between TUBITAK and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Serbia (MoESTD). In this context, we would like to thank all the researchers who took part in the project and inspired the research, especially the project coordinators Prof. Dr. Deniz Bayrakdar and Prof. Dr. Nevena Daković. We would also like to express our gratitude to Aleksandra Milovanović, who informed us about fan groups in Serbia, and to Iva Leković for providing comprehensive information about Serbia.

References

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APA
Memici, F., & Baş, Ö. (2026). Turkish TV Series as Soft Power Tool and the Role of Fandom: The Case of Serbia. İletişim Ve Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi, 6(1), 19-49. https://doi.org/10.59534/jcss.1799739
AMA
1.Memici F, Baş Ö. Turkish TV Series as Soft Power Tool and the Role of Fandom: The Case of Serbia. JCSS. 2026;6(1):19-49. doi:10.59534/jcss.1799739
Chicago
Memici, Fatma, and Özen Baş. 2026. “Turkish TV Series As Soft Power Tool and the Role of Fandom: The Case of Serbia”. İletişim Ve Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi 6 (1): 19-49. https://doi.org/10.59534/jcss.1799739.
EndNote
Memici F, Baş Ö (March 1, 2026) Turkish TV Series as Soft Power Tool and the Role of Fandom: The Case of Serbia. İletişim ve Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi 6 1 19–49.
IEEE
[1]F. Memici and Ö. Baş, “Turkish TV Series as Soft Power Tool and the Role of Fandom: The Case of Serbia”, JCSS, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 19–49, Mar. 2026, doi: 10.59534/jcss.1799739.
ISNAD
Memici, Fatma - Baş, Özen. “Turkish TV Series As Soft Power Tool and the Role of Fandom: The Case of Serbia”. İletişim ve Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi 6/1 (March 1, 2026): 19-49. https://doi.org/10.59534/jcss.1799739.
JAMA
1.Memici F, Baş Ö. Turkish TV Series as Soft Power Tool and the Role of Fandom: The Case of Serbia. JCSS. 2026;6:19–49.
MLA
Memici, Fatma, and Özen Baş. “Turkish TV Series As Soft Power Tool and the Role of Fandom: The Case of Serbia”. İletişim Ve Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi, vol. 6, no. 1, Mar. 2026, pp. 19-49, doi:10.59534/jcss.1799739.
Vancouver
1.Fatma Memici, Özen Baş. Turkish TV Series as Soft Power Tool and the Role of Fandom: The Case of Serbia. JCSS. 2026 Mar. 1;6(1):19-4. doi:10.59534/jcss.1799739